Volume 42 - Issue 5 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2010 · Volume 42 - Issue 5 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2010 INSIDE...

Vancouver Ostomy HighLife - September / October 2010 1

LifeVancouver Ostomy

HIGHVolume 42 - Issue 5 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2010

INSI

DE Youth Camp 1

2010

Letters, News 3

Adventures in 4Peru & Ecuador

New Patients’Corner 8

Cape Breton 10Conference

Did You Know? 12

From theArchives 14

ET Nurses & Clinics 15

REMAINING2010 MEETING SCHEDULE:Sept. 19 (AGM) Guest SpeakerAlison McCarliefrom Coloplast

Annual Christmas Buffet atCHEERS RESTAURANT125 East 2nd Street, North VancouverSunday, November 28Mark your calendar now!

CHAPTER MEETINGS ARE HELD AT:Collingwood Neighbourhood House5288 Joyce StreetVancouver at 1:30 PM

cont. page 7

Ostomy Youth Camp 2010 By Sandra Morris, Ostomy Youth Camp Coordinator

This past July, the Vancouver Chap-ter sponsored 5 teenagers to at-

tend Camp Horizon, the Ostomy Youth Camp located at Bragg Creek, Alberta. (Last year we sponsored 4 youths). The campers ranged in age from 13 to 17 years old and included one girl and four boys. Three of the campers are from the Lower Mainland, one is from Squamish, and the other from Sechelt. Other Chapters in BC also sponsor campers, with some coming from Na-naimo and Prince George.

For six days, the kids participated in regular camp activities such as hiking, swimming, team sports, climbing, overnight campouts, rafting, and arts and crafts. In addition, there were health education and counselling sessions, plus social activities such as a dance and rap session. The campers particularly value the rap session, where they can tell their stories, share some of their fears, and receive support from other young people going through the same struggles.

After camp, all five campers were on the same flight returning from Calgary to Van-couver. For the past year, I’ve been communicating with the kids and their parents by email, and hadn’t previously met them in person. I went to the airport so I could ‘put names to faces’ and it was very gratifying to hear first-hand about some of their experi-ences.

For some campers, Camp Horizon is the first time they meet other kids their own age with an ostomy or the same health condition. They are in a safe place, where they don’t need to hide their condition, where they don’t need to explain themselves, and where they don’t feel alone – someone else has gone through the same experience! It’s a place to have fun, start new friendships, put medical issues on the ‘back-burner’ and feel like a normal kid. The campers find it such a valuable experience that they return year after year, and after age 18 they often volunteer as camp counsellors. The kids also communicate with each other throughout the year on email and Facebook, so their mutual support lasts long after camp ends.

It costs about $1000 to send one child to camp – $555 for camp registration and up to $450 for airfare. We request 50% of the funding from The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund, through the Vancouver Foundation, and we greatly appreciate the support they have provided for the past several years.

The Vancouver Chapter funds the other 50% of costs from our Wendy Irvine Youth Fund.

2 Vancouver Ostomy HighLife - September / October 2010

From Your PresidentThis fall issue of HighLife is going out a little late due to the UOAC National Conference held in Sydney, Nova Scotia late August, which I had the pleasure of attending along with chapter member Joy Jones. This year I attended more of the “nuts & bolts” work-shops so to speak — those dealing with the workings of chapters and how to more effectively do my job as President. It was a valuable learning experience and I’d like to especially thank Judy Steeves for hosting the Presidents’ workshop, and Roger Ivol and Janet Paquet for host-ing the newsletter workshop. For more on the conference, see Joy’s write up on page 10.

Our AGM this September will be the last one for our very diligent Membership Coordinator Arlene McInnis. Arlene and her husband will be moving to the island in the new year to begin their new ‘second careers’ as wine growers!! Arlene took over the membership job in 2004, sorted out the records, got everything into an electronic database and has kept careful track of new mem-bers, old members, and the mailing list ever since. (She’s also kept careful track of ME if I forgot to add somebody to the mailing list.) Arlene will be handing the Excel reins over to Joy Jones later in the fall so take note of the change in membership coordinator address. Perhaps when those vines get established we might have some “McInnis Merlot” at the Christmas tables some year ?? Just a thought, Arlene . . .

This is Sandra Morris’ first year handling the kids’ camp position and she’s done a pro job already. Check out the letters on the opposite page — when you read letters like this, you realize how much of an impact our chapter can make in the lives of young ostomates (and their parents!)Thank you again to every-one who has donated so kindly this year to make Camp Horizon a reality for these kids.

I’d like to take the opportunity here to encourage you to attend the AGM later this month and to set aside November 28 to attend our Christmas luncheon and party at Cheers restaurant in North Vancouver. The menu offered is con-sideraby expanded, and parking is much easier in this area. This will be a new venue for us -- the Holiday Inn was a lovely hall but getting terribly expensive -- so we’re looking for a good turnout at a lower price for our members.

On a more sombre note, I am deeply saddened to tell you that Doreen Dow-son, wife of Past President Ron Dowson, passed away in late August after a courageous battle with cancer. Many of you will remember Doreen, who accompanied her husband to so many meetings, and who took on the cof-fee wagon duties for a time. Her cheerful, kind nature was always a pleasure. I’ll miss seeing her sitting in the front row, smiling encouragement to a new president who was not always quite sure how to lead a meeting. I know I can speak on behalf of us all when I offer my most sincere condolences to Ron and his family. Debra

VANCoUVER CHAPTER EXECUTIVE & VoLUNTEERSPRESIDENTDebra Rooney 604-683-6774

VICE-PRESIDENTVacant

SECRETARYJoy Jones 604-926-9075

TREASUREREmilia Prychidko 604-874-1502

NEWSLETTER PRoDUCTIoN & EDIToRDebra Rooney 604-683-6774 email: [email protected] MEMBERSHIP CooRDINAToRArlene McInnisemail: [email protected] 34 - 4055 Indian River Drive , N. Vancouver BC V7G 2R7 604-929-8208

VISITING CooRDINAToRDebra Rooney 604- 683-6774

VISITING CooRDINAToR BACKUPMaxine Barclay 604-272-0814

YoUTH CAMP CooRDINAToRSandra Morris 604-921-8715

LIBRARY, VIDEo AND DVDsNorma Primiani 604-327-5895

NoTICE oF MEETINGS/GREETERSCindy Hartmann 604-731-6671Norma Primiani 604-327-5895

CHRISTMAS PARTY CooRDINAToRJoy Jones 604-926-9075

MEETING REFRESHMENTSChris Spencer

F.o.W. CoLLECTIoN & SHIPPINGEarl Lesk 604-327-7661

Published by the Vancouver, BC Chapter of the United Ostomy Association of Canada, Inc.Box 74570, 2768 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2G4A non-profit volunteer support group for ostomates. Chapter website: www.vcn.bc.ca/ostomyvr/

NATIONAL OFFICE: United Ostomy Association of Canada#501-344 Bloor Street WestToronto, Ontario M5S 3A7 1-888-969-9698http://www.ostomycanada.ca/

IMPoRTANT NoTICEArticles and information printed in this newsletter are not necessarily endorsed by the United Ostomy Association and may not be applicable to everybody. Please consult your own doctor or ET nurse for the medical advice that is best for you.


Dear Vancouver Chapter & Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund,

I write to you once again to thank you for sponsoring me to go to Easter Seals Camp Horizon Ostomy Camp. this is my fourth year attending camp and I have made many life-long friends over the years. Camp is a very beneficial experience in my opinion because it allows me to connect with other individuals facing the same personal and medical challenges as myself. It also allows me to be open about my medical history in a safe environment. Camp is a unique ex-perience for me as I had tried, for years prior to camp, to find someone my own age to talk about my various medical issues. I had searched for years to find someone who could relate to me and had ultimately given up until Ami Nowak, my ET nurse from Children’s Hospital, approached me about attending camp. I couldn’t have been happier to go and am glad I have been able to attend for all the years since then. I can’t wait to go back to camp as a counsellor.

Sincerely, Anonymous

Dear UOAC Vancouver, Children’s Fund and Sandra Morris,

I wanted to thank you for the opportunity for my son to attend camp this year. Each year prior to camp he is busy emailing friends from previous years to see who will be attending camp. He has the hope and expectation that each of them are in good health, well enough to re-attend. He looks forward to seeing these old friends each year and making new ones. The whole ex-perience of camp has been a very positve one for him. As a parent I sense he gets to relax about his medical issues within the company of other campers who have been through similar life-changing experiences. He feels that everyone totally understands it and there is no exclusion. Rob Hill is men-tioned a lot when he returns. It goes with-out saying he is a very inspirational young man, one my son looks up to as a friend and mentor. He talks about the many camp memories, especially the river rafting, high ropes, and archery. The dance is always fun but the goodbyes on final day are the hard-est part, knowing that due to the distance he won’t see them until next year. Needless to say he has already mentioned to us that

he wants to attend next year! He is a more mature, self-confident person for having gone through these medical concerns and I believe camp has helped to foster some of this in a positive manner.Thanks to all of you who for the fund-rais-ing and sending them to camp for this great experience. Thanks to all the camp coun-sellors, volunteers, nursing staff, cooking staff, Pat Cimmeck, Sandra Morris for their countless hours of dedication to making it all possible.

Parent of a Grateful Camper

Dear Sandra,I am writing to thank you for your assist-ance in sending my son Nairn to the Youth Ostomy Camp during July 2010. I under-stand my son Nairn’s attendance at this camp was sponsored by UOAC Vancouver Chapter and the Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund. Their sponsorship has meant my son was able to attend a camp where he finally met other youth with an ostomy.This camp was especially important as Nairn had been critically ill a number of times over the past two years. In fact, he spent more time in the hospital during the summers of 2008 and 2009 than he spent at home. This was Nairn’s first time being away from both his dad and me; without the medical assistance available if needed, Nairn may not have been able to attend Camp. This Camp gave him some inde-pendence and normalcy. I hope this Camp is available to as many youth as possible. It provides both the chil-dren and the parents with a break from the standard routines of chronic illness.

Sincerely,Tina Heal, Nairn’s mom

To Members of the Vancouver Chapter,

This year at camp was amazing. Even bet-ter than the last, and I didn’t know it was possible!There were lots of people to talk to about my surgery. I felt accepted. I learned that there really isn’t a ‘normal’ in the world to-day, and learned a lot more about myself.It was really nice to get to talk to Jess Grossman, too. Since I read her blog a lot, I got to put a face to the words. :)Thank you so much for sponsoring me

this year for camp. I’m looking forward to going back next year, and maybe even becoming a Counsellor In Training.

Thanks again,Alana

Dear UOA,Here is my letter, it is not in a word docu-ment because I am just writing this up on my iPhone. For me, camp has provided me the chance to realize my full potential. Through all the activities at camp we do, from the high ropes to river rafting, they give all the campers the confidence to achieve any-thing, even with an illness. Going to camp has given me so much confidence and at the same time given me the chance to make friends going through similar health prob-lems as I am. I can’t wait to go to camp again next year, thank you so much for making it happen for me!

- Clinton

Members of the UOAC Vancouver Chapter and The Vancouver Sun Chil-dren’s Fund,

I can not thank you enough for giving my son the opportunity to attend Camp Hori-zon. It took a lot of persuading for him to go the first year, and since then, he looks so forward to going every year. He has met friends that he not only looks forward to seeing each year, but keeps in contact with all year round. It is really important that all of the kids get the opportunity to be in an environment where everyone shares the same struggles. It gives them the chance to exchange experiences, give tips, and real-ize they are truly not alone. As a parent, it also helped me to let go. When he was first diagnosed, I worried that he would never be able to continue his love of the outdoors and activities. Camp Horizon offered these all in a safe and caring environment. The opportunities and experiences that have come his way due to camp, would not have happened without all of your generous sup-port. Thank you so much.

From a very grateful parent,Wendy Shard

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ADVENTURES IN PERU & ECUADOR - foreign correspondent Debra Rooney

I’ve travelled a lot since colostomy surgery nine years ago but never anywhere as challenging as South America. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that South America is os-tomy-unfriendly for it is not, but it’s not a place that an ostomate should take lightly if considering the kind of trip I took. Our itinerary included Machu Picchu in Peru, the cloud forests of Ecuador, the city of Quito, and the amaz-ing archipelago of Galapagos.

PeruWe spent very little time in this lovely country -- a scant three days due to a missed connection in Dallas that stole 24 hours from us -- but packed in two tours plus an overnight excursion to the world heritage site of Machu Picchu. (I won’t drone on with a travelogue about this astonishing ruin but will just say it is all, and far more, than any postcard could suggest.) The first thing one learns, as an ostomate in such a country, is to bathroom-map. Restaurants do not necessarily have bathrooms and those that do may frown on you asking to use the facilities if you aren’t eating or drinking there. Public re-strooms, which are few and sometimes far between not to mention difficult to locate for tourists with no guide or ability to speak Spanish, almost always require the pay-ment of a few coins to enter. These buy you the toilet and a s-m-a-l-l amount of weapons-grade toilet paper.

Lesson One: Carry small coins, carry your own tissue and take note of anything that looks remotely pub-lic bathroom-ish. Tip: churches almost always have free bathrooms that will usually be cleaner than public ones. And if you’re in South America it’s a given that you’re go-ing to tour churches.

Lesson Two: Carry water. If it’s being handed out on a tour take as many bottles as you decently can to save for later just in case. Any ileostomate already knows enough to carry water when travelling but I had to learn this the hard way, spending one long bus ride staring longingly at others’ bottled water until our guides handed out water at the next stop. I don’t normally drink a lot of water but the minute it wasn’t readily available I was thirsty.

The Cloudforest, EcuadorWe had our own bathrooms in lovely rustic cabins at El Monte nature reserve so no problem there. (And if you re-ally have to empty, the jungle is a forgiving place to step off the trail.) There was an abundant supply of spring water and excellent food and all in all the place was easy enough for an ostomate to live in. But I got sick. I still have no idea why — everyone else who ate and drank the same as I was fine. Perhaps it was the relentless heat and humidity, or perhaps the battalions of invisible mosqui-toes that assaulted us nightly. Or maybe it was irrigating when my body was telling me “Don’t do this”. The misery passed after 24 hours and QUITE a few bags used up. I was carrying mostly patches and closed-end mini-bags, you see.

Lesson Three: Do not irrigate in a strange country if you don’t feel well. Seriously. You’ll be sorry. You will ride all the way back to Quito lying down in a taxi.

Lesson Four: PACK A LOT OF SUPPLIES. OK, I was prepared but even so, it was a bit worrying to see how fast I could run through closed-end gear when I got sick. I had drainables too but I’d brought them specifically to donate in Quito so it was with alarm I realized that I might have to start using them if this didn’t clear up.

Welcome to Machu Picchu!

Off to snorkel -- your editor in the back, far right. Yes, I am the only one wearing a life jacket.


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Quito, EcuadorThis place was easy. We stayed at a fancy hotel, with a nice modern bathroom plus by now I’d learned that bathrooms were easily found in churches. But you still couldn’t drink (or irrigate with) the tap water.

Lesson Five: Water-sellers are your friend. I use a lot of water to irrigate and became skilled at finding street vendors to sell me the required number of bottles. Tip: check the caps to make sure they aren’t just re-filling old bottles with tap water. This was never a problem in the city but I imagine that in remote locations it might be an issue. “Agua, por favor - quatro, por favor” did nicely.

GalapagosHere is where I had to re-think irrigating. We were on a small ship of 70 feet in length which tossed and rocked with great vigour when underway. When anchored it was reasonably stable but anchoring meant the whole lot of us were scheduled for land tours and sometimes snor-kelling twice a day. Irrigating at any time of the day when at anchor meant missing out on something which I was loathe to do, and irrigating at night when underway was out of the question. One needed two hands at all times just to avoid being thrown against the walls and since one needs two hands to irrigate I had to suspend this practice for 8 days. Those of you who do not or cannot irrigate will laugh at my consternation at having to re-orient myself about monitoring, emptying and changing ostomy gear. I got the hang of it quickly — I did man-age myself this way during the first year after all — but dear me, did I run through supplies! (even the 1-piece drainables did not last long in that environment) I wor-riedly counted down the dwindling supply that would be left to donate.

Lesson Six: Ya gotta be flexible. So I couldn’t irrigate. So what. Adapt.

Food in South AmericaMany of us must be vigilant about what we eat due to the danger of blockages. I found that there were lots of safe choices in restaurants for those who must take care but an ileostomate might encounter problems if touring Galapagos. I can only speak for our ship, but there was no menu selection and everyone was served the same fare which tended to be vegetable and fruit-heavy with a surprising lack of starches. It was decidedly un-North American and very healthy but I wondered how an ileos-tomate might manage such meals. I did notice one fel-low traveller who avoided a lot of the dishes and simply assumed at the time that he didn’t like strange vegeta-bles. Perhaps he had an ileostomy!! I know he left the table hungry a few times. But for those of you with no

food worries, such a ship would be a most interesting food experience. (Look up ‘tree tomato’ sometime.) Oh yes, and corn is a major staple in South America. All of your corn needs will be met.

Donating SuppliesIt was my intention from the get-go to donate what drain-able and closed-end bags I had left before leaving Ecua-dor for home. Astrid Graham of FOW had advised me to give them to any hospital I could find in Quito from where they might find their way into the hands of those who needed them most. This proved to be more difficult than expected due to the language barrier. What’s the word for hospital? How to explain what our mission was, once there? A solution was found, entirely by chance. This is how it came about:

We had also brought school supplies to donate and set out one afternoon in Quito to find a school. It quickly became apparent that we had little idea of where to go so I decided to ask a passing nun where a Catholic school might be. Much sign language and the words “escuala por niños” later she happily grasped the concept and led us to a school near the main square. Some more

CONT. NEXT PAGE


translating of our mission was required and we were then led to the outer office of Mother Superior herself! Mother Superior, alas, was in conference with another petitioner and after giving us a suspicious glare through the two-way window to her office, continued to debate at length with her guest. We waited. And waited. It became ap-parent after 30 minutes that we weren’t high on Mother S’s list of priorities so we left, mightily affronted, to seek more receptive waters.

And by great happy chance we found them, our recep-tive waters, in the form of an outdoor school for street children. A tall woman who looked like she might speak English looked to be in charge and I approached her with our offer of crayons, paper, chalk and the like. Her name was Emma Barthles, and she was half Canadian! Emma Barthles and her organization “Desarrollo Social y Há-bitat were happy to take our school supplies and best of all, when I asked where I might find a hospital (one seizes upon the chance to get as much information as possible when encountering a fluent English-speaker) said she partnered with the Director of the local health centre (Unidad Municipal de Salud Centro) which would see that our donation got to the right place. So the deed was done, and done right and I thank you again, Emma B. for helping. (There is much I could say about Emma’s organization but there is not enough room here. I include the link to her blog so that those of you with computers might read and learn more about this wonderful group that does such loving and needed work with the children of Quito.)

www.dsh-ecuador.blogspot.com

If You GoBesides the obvious precautions ostomates should take when travelling I’d strongly recommend that if planning a trip to either Ecuador or Peru you visit one of Vancou-ver’s local travel clinics for specific advice on what im-

Emma Barthles, Desarrollo Social y Hábitat, leaving ‘class’ for the day with her portable blackboards

munizations to get. These will vary according to regions visited but you can count on needing hepatitis, tetanus and yellow fever. Some areas advise polio vaccines (ours was recommended) and/or malaria medication. I’d also strongly recommend the altitude medication Acetazola-mide (Diamox) which I took on the clinic’s suggestion. I had no problems with altitude while taking this drug. All these immunizations will run you around two to three hundred dollars depending on the areas you visit. Travel immunizations are not covered by Blue Cross but are well worth it. The Vancouver Travel Clinic is at 601 West Broadway, Vancouver (near Lancaster ostomy supplies) Call 604-736-9244 for more information.

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UROSTOMATES ALERT!Are you aware of the symptoms of a kidney infection?1) elevated temperature2) chills3) low back pain4) blood in the urine 5) decreased urine output

If any of these symptoms persist, you should report them to your doctor. (Actually, you should report such things to your doctor even if you DON’T have a urostomy!)

ANOTHER REASON WHY ILEOS NEED TO DRINK WATERInadequate water intake can contribute to formation of kidney stones. We all know ileostomates need to drink fluids frequently to prevent dehydration but did you know that the incidence of developing kidney stones in ileostomates is 20 times that of the general population?!! - Jill Conwell, RNET Corpus Christi; Evansville Ostomy News

(The Youth Fund was renamed the Wendy Irvine Fund in 2009, when Wendy died at the young age of 35. She was a previ-ous Chapter member and camper). The Vancouver Chapter receives a generous donation from the Irvine family each year, and this past year we also received a $1,100 donation from an Abbotsford/Chilliwack ostomy support group. This group had previously sponsored campers who were now too old to attend camp. These campers had benefited tremendously from their camp experiences and the group who sponsored them wanted to continue to support young people who are adjusting to liv-ing with an ostomy.

Donations from our membership make up the balance of camp costs funded by the Vancouver Chapter. The campers want to sincerely thank our membership for their generous support, without which some of these kids would not be able to attend camp. (Thank you notes from campers and their parents are reprinted in the Letters & News section).

Some of the kids say that camp has changed their lives. Be-cause of this, we believe Camp Horizon is one of the most im-portant programs operated by the United Ostomy Association and supported with funding from the Vancouver Chapter. This past summer, Camp Horizon increased its capacity to 50 chil-dren, up from the 30 who could previously be accommodated. Therefore, if funding is available, we will be able to sponsor up to 8 campers from British Columbia in July 2011.

YOUTH CAMP, CONT. FROM PAGE 1

Group 2

Clinton gets airborne — the sky’s the limit for these campers


NEW PATIENTS’CORNER

DO’S and DONT’S AFTER SURGERYYou’re out of hospital at last! Whether your stay there was a short one or many weeks’ duration, it’s good to come home. Coming home can be an emotional time, howev-er. Coming to terms with an ostomy and learning to man-age it can be frustrating and dismaying in the beginning. You’ll get the upper hand in time, but while your emotions are adjusting it will help to follow these tips:

DO . . .• Walk. Even if it’s just around the apartment, house or yard, make sure you walk and get moving several times, each day. Walking gets your muscles back in shape, stim-ulates the bowels to get working again and is helpful for brightening your mood.

• Eat several small meals throughout the day if you don’t have the appetite for regular helpings.

• Change your own appliance. Unless your vision or hand/eye coordination is too poor to do so, letting your spouse take care of this for you is a bad habit to get into. Did they wipe your bottom for you before surgery? Unless there is a valid reason, they shouldn’t be doing that now.

• Learn about products on the internet if you have a computer.

• Take it easy to start when eating fruits and vegetables for the first week or so, especially raw produce. Intro-duce these in small amounts and chew well. (If your surgery was a urostomy, you can disregard this tip)

• Ask questions. Ask your ET nurse if something puzzles you. Ask another ostomate if this or that has happened to them and how they dealt with it.

• Give the UOA chapter a call, or come to a meeting! Seeing and talking to others lets you know you aren’t alone. There are lots of folks who understand what you are going through.

DON’T . . .

• Overdo it. If you were quite an active person before sur-gery you may be tempted to jump back into your pre-vious exercise habits too soon. Be realistic about your stamina -- trying to go all the way around the seawall in one go may not be the wisest idea. Remember, how-ever far you go out, you still have to get back. Work up to physical activity.

• Get down on yourself if you make a mistake. Mistakes are how you learn and everytime you overcome a prob-lem or a fear, you gain in confidence.

• Lift heavy objects. Let your abdomen heal before you start picking up pets, garbage bags and so on and ask your nurses/doctor’s advice on resuming exercise.

• Sulk in bed. It gets you nowhere, you’ll take longer to recover and your spouse will get mighty tired of you. You don’t have to be thrilled about this but you do have to try. Get your butt out of bed!

HOW TO GET OUT OF BED

Nowwhodoesn’tknowhowtogetoutofbed?Youdon’t!Oratleastyoudidn’tthefirsttimeyoutriedtogetoutofbedwithabrandnewincision.Hurt,didn’tit?You’rego-ingtobeprettysoreforawhileafteryougethomeandmayfinditdifficulttogetoutofbedwithoutsomethinghurtinginyourabdo-men.Theareawillhealintimebutwhileitis,practisegettingoutofbedbyrollingside-waysandswingingyourfeetontothefloorratherthansittingupdirectly.Whichsideofthebedyousleeponisafactoraswell--ifyouhaveanileostomyyoumightconsidersleepingontheleftsideofthebedsorollingoffdoesn’tinterferewiththebag.Theoppo-sitewouldapplytoacolostomy--youmightwanttoswitchtotherightsideofthebedforthesamereason.Aurostomatewillneedtosleepontherightsideiftheyemployanightdrainagesystem.


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Steve Feist (PEI), Carmen Wear (BC) and Lori Pismenny (Man.) carry their provincial flags at the opening ceremonies

The BC contingent: Carmen Wear (Victoria)Joy Jones (Vancouver), Deb Rooney (Vancou-ver), Anne-Marie Vorkampff (Victoria) and Maxine Reed (Victoria)

There was quite a lively dance the night of the ConvaTec banquet

Passing of the banner to the 2012 Confer-ence Committee: Verna Petrie (right) hands off to Di Bracken (Toronto)

Pat Cimmeck (left) accepts the UOAC Ma-ple Leaf Award for 2010

UOAC CONFERENCE, CAPE BRETON 2010 - by Joy Jones

What an experience it was to attend the Sydney Conference. From the open-ing Kitchen Party until the final song by the Men of the Deeps at the last banquet, it was a busy time.

The Cape Berton’s are a friendly, warm hearted people and make you feel right at home.

Right from the beginning I felt happy and proud to be there. Proud of all the flags coming in for the opening ceremonies, and just plain pleased to be among others that seemed to feel the same.The keynote speakers were knowledgeable, sensitive and humorous. One speaker spoke so fast I could only catch half of his funnies but still kept me in stitches about “down home” nick names. We west coasters are “from away”, by the way. Not me though, I’m a Herring Choker from N.B.The breakout sessions were all interesting but it was impossible to attend them all. I had to pick and choose and felt that I learnt a lot at every one that I went to. One thing brought home to me very quickly was I am not alone, I am in a great place with my ostomy, and I am more and more thankful to be here and belong to such a group. There is a very strong network for osto-mates and the spousal support can be really unbelievable. All the major suppliers put on great displays and there were independent sup-pliers there as well, all with lots of handouts and great useful information.

Each major supplier hosted a gala dinner and each evening was better than the last.

There was a crazy auction of hun-dreds of items and they had like 1 hour to get it done. Crazy fun, I didn’t manage to snag a thing! Next time I know the ropes and bring home something great. Next time is To-ronto 2012 and I’m marking my cal-endar now, I hope more of our group will be there!


Keir Surgical’s In-House Ostomy and Wound SpecialistLauren Wolfe grew up in South Africa near the city of Johannesburg. She com-pleted her basic nursing training in 1990 at the B.G. Alexander College of Nursing and thereafter she immigrated to Vancouver, Canada. Her nursing career has been a combination of Acute Spinal cord nursing, Intensive care nursing and clinical teaching for Doug-las College. She completed her Bachelor of Science at the University of Victoria in 1997. In 2004 she moved to Richmond Hospital ICU. After about 1 year she decided that she really enjoyed wound care and felt that she could make a difference in people’s lives. Lauren chose to do the WOCN program at Emory University in Atlanta Georgia in 2006. Lauren knew that she would be starting a new Wound/Ostomy program at Richmond hospital and was very excited to carve out new territory for the city of Richmond and provide a service close to home for those who are unable to travel to ET’s/WOCN’s outside of Richmond. “I find this position so rewarding and stimulating however I wish I could provide uninterrupted time for my clients” stated Lauren just prior to starting work at Keir Surgi-cal. “Keir offers me the ability to assist clients with no pager or nurses calling for help. I am able to take my time and do my best to try to help ostomy patients.”Lauren is a member of the WOCN society and the CAET. Her philosophy is that no one company’s products fit all patients. She also believes that as much as possible it is the client’s choice when choosing an appliance unless they are experiencing challenges in maintaining a predictable wear time. She is familiar with and uses Hollister, Convatec, Coloplast, Cymed, Marlen and Nuhope. Her role at Richmond Hospital is both wound and ostomy care with a passion in wound care prevention. At Keir Surgical her role is assisting clients in managing their ostomy and measuring for hernia belts when needed.

Please contact Keir surgical at 604-879-9101 for appointment dates and times.

Wishes to invite you to our Fall Education Day! Come for the whole day or just drop in to see what’s new.

When: Saturday November 7, 2009 9:00 am - 3:30 PM Where: Hilton Hotel Metrotown, 6083 McKay Ave., Burnaby, B.C.

Topic: - Flanges and Skin Care

9:00 - 10:00 Exhibits displays from ostomy manufacturers, welcome

10:00 - 11:00 Cancer Crooner – Bret Martin-a man’s story and songs of cancer,

ileostomy surgery, treatment and reconnection surgery. See www.cancercrooner.com.

11:00 – 12:00 Flange technology and Skin Care Convatec research scientist explains:

“Everything you want to know about flanges but were afraid to ask?”

12:00 – 1:30 Complementary Lunch and Exhibits 1:30 – 2:30 Andy Manson, ET and Rob Hill talk about their IBD Adventure hike up Mount Kilimanjaro 2:30 – 3:30 Tips and Tricks and Open Discussion

Free admission Seating is limited To register call 604-522-4265 or 1-888-290-6313

Or Register on line www.ostomycareandsupply.com

Products on display from such manufacturers as Coloplast, Convatec, and Hollister, etc.

See You There! Your Ostomy ET nurses; Andy, Muriel and Lisa

OSTOMY CARE & SUPPLY CENTREIs pleased to offer Physiotherapist Services for Abdominal Strengthening and Hernia Prevention.We are pleased to welcome Physiotherapist Martha Nils, BSc (P.T.), FCAMT. Martha spoke at our Hernia Education Day. She will offer a private one on one session to teach you to safely strengthen your abdominal muscles to help prevent peristomal hernias.Thecostpersessionis$120andmaybecoveredbyyourextendedhealthcareplan.

To book a private one on one session with Martha, call 604-522-4265.

You may look like this

after using her services!!


Macdonald’s Prescriptions #3 Kitsilano

2188 West Broadway, Vancouver – 604.738.0733

“We’re small enough to know you, large enough to serve you”

We take great pride in our specialty services and supplies Skin Care Products

Custom Compounding Customized Compression Hosiery Natural and Botanical Supplements

Mobility Equipment Incontinence Supplies

Specialty health supplies

Cardiovascular Assessments

Cardiovascular Risk Assessments 24 Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

Lung Assessments and Smoking Cessation Registered Nurse Consultations

Neal Dunwoody, RN, BScN, WOCN is our Wound and Enterostomal Specialist providing expert support and all supplies through our Pharmacy clinic on Saturdays

DID YOU KNOW . . .?An ostomate will use a fair amount of plastic ostomy products in his or her life-time, materials that cannot be recycled. As good environmental citizens, we should therefore endeavor to make up for this unavoidable contribution to land-fill by recycling our other plastic waste as much as possible.

Ever wondered what happens to the plastic containers you deposit in curbside recycling, redeem at the store, or drop into recycle bins? The plastic recycling process re-quires several steps to turn discarded plastic into new products. One thing to be aware of when thinking about how plastic is recycled is that recycled plastics are usually ‘downstreamed’. In other words, instead of turning old yogurt containers into new yogurt containers, the plastic from the original container is used to make a different type of product, because it cannot be used in the same way twice.

The first step in the plastic recycling process is sorting at a recycling facility. During sorting, plastic is divided by type. Some recycling fa-cilities will only process certain types of products, which means that products they can’t handle may be sold to another facility which can handle them, or landfilled, depending on company policy.

After sorting, the plastic is ground into chips or flakes. At this point, the plastic is usually mixed with a lot of impurities, including pieces of labels, bits of the material the plastic once held, and so forth. Hence, it needs to be washed in a bath which will get the plastic clean, before the plastic is dried and then melted. Once melted, the plastic is formed into pellets known as nurdles.

The nurdles can be used as feedstock for other manufacturing proc-esses. For example, nurdles can be turned into fibers to make prod-ucts such as artificial fleece, or they can be worked into engineered wood products, used to make carpeting, and utilized in the produc-tion of products like floor mats and floor tiles. Companies that want to use recycled plastic can buy nurdles by the truckload for various applications.

Plastic recycling is not simple. One problem is that dyes can con-taminate plastics, making them difficult and sometimes impossible to recycle. Plastics can also be contaminated with impurities like heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, and pieces of biodegradeable plastic which accidentally get mixed in with plastics made from pe-troleum. Recyclers attempt to identify these impurities before they contaminate an entire batch of plastic slated for recycling, but this is not always possible.

While plastic recycling is definitely a good thing to do, it does not re-duce the demand for virgin plastic. Products made with virgin plastic usually cannot be made from recycled plastic. Plastic recycling does reduce the demand for other resources, however. For example, by making engineered lumber with plastic, it is possible to save trees.

Now I wonder if this pouch used to be something else . . .

PRESCRIPTION EXCELLENCE- OSTOMY CLINIC IN STORECentral Vancouver Island’s ONLY store based Ostomy Clinic with Colette MacAskill, RN, ET (Ostomy Specialist) on staff.

PHARMASAVE WESTHILL CENTER NANAIMO1816 Bowen Rd. (next to Tim Hortons) Phone: 250-740-3880

Long term accessibility, education and support from ET, Ostomy Specialist

Free consultations and Appliance Fittings in private clinicExpert product information and Sampling ProgramLarge Ostomy Inventory and Special Orders BC Pharmacare receipt Competitive pricing Custom Ostomy Hernia Belts

FREE DELIVERY of ostomy products island-wideStore Open 7 days a week.


Wishes to invite you to our Fall Education Day! Come for the whole day or just drop in to see what’s new.

When: Saturday November 7, 2009 9:00 am - 3:30 PM Where: Hilton Hotel Metrotown, 6083 McKay Ave., Burnaby, B.C.

Topic: - Flanges and Skin Care

9:00 - 10:00 Exhibits displays from ostomy manufacturers, welcome

10:00 - 11:00 Cancer Crooner – Bret Martin-a man’s story and songs of cancer,

ileostomy surgery, treatment and reconnection surgery. See www.cancercrooner.com.

11:00 – 12:00 Flange technology and Skin Care Convatec research scientist explains:

“Everything you want to know about flanges but were afraid to ask?”

12:00 – 1:30 Complementary Lunch and Exhibits 1:30 – 2:30 Andy Manson, ET and Rob Hill talk about their IBD Adventure hike up Mount Kilimanjaro 2:30 – 3:30 Tips and Tricks and Open Discussion

Free admission Seating is limited To register call 604-522-4265 or 1-888-290-6313

Or Register on line www.ostomycareandsupply.com

Products on display from such manufacturers as Coloplast, Convatec, and Hollister, etc.

See You There! Your Ostomy ET nurses; Andy, Muriel and Lisa

Invites you to ourOSTOMY EDUCATION DAY!

When: Saturday October 30, 2010 8:30 am - 3:00 PMWhere: Hilton Hotel Crystal Ballroom (Metrotown)

6083 McKay Ave., Burnaby, B.C.(free underground parking)

8:30 Visit the Exhibits — see what’s new

9:00 WelcomeAddress

9:15 RobHill,Mt.Everestclimber(www.weneedideas.com), AndreaKardos,triathlete,Olympictorchbearer (www.triacrossbc.ca) andJessicaGrossman,modelofUncoverOstomy (http://uncoverostomy.com)

11:30 MeetPatCimmeckandhearaboutOstomyKidsandCamp

12:30 Complementary Lunch and Exhibits

1:30 HelenManson,RN,ETandDr.KenAtkinson,(retiredGIsurgeon fromSt.Paul’shospital)speakingonthe“OldenDaysofOstomy!”

2:30 QuestionsandAnswers,Tips&TricksandTreats!

Freeadmission.SeatingislimitedTo register call 604-522-4265 before October 20, 2010 or

Registeronlinewww.ostomycareandsupply.comSee You There! From your ET (ostomy) nurses; Andy Manson, Muriel Larsen, Lisa Hegler,

Laurie Cox and Christina Kerekes


From the Archives . . .It was 1979 and the newly-formed Surrey chapter was barely a year old. The first executive consisted of (pictured at right, from left to right) Archie Mitchell (vice-president), Pat Danyluk (president), Helen Manson (ET advisor), Joyce Taylor (secretary) and Marguerite Hack-ett (treasurer). Their first year boasted a membership of 30, of which two were newborn infants! The following year membership grew to 51, qualifying the chapter for the Incentive Award for Growth, given by the UOA of Los Angeles, California. Until late 1979, the Surrey chapter was allowed to publish news in Vancouver’s HighLife newsletter; by Oc-tober 1979, Surrey’s “The Ostomates’ Link’ was started, with Doug Moore as first editor.

Youngest Surrey member Chad Melquist with mom Rebecca

The Vancouver Chapter was busy as well. About the same time that the above photos were taken, Vancouver was putting together a Bridge Club, complete with cash prizes (and liquor, so long as you brought your own!) Gordon Anten-bring was President, Barry Munro was VP, Thomas Woodcock was Treasurer, Lottie Calli was Secretary, Muriel Edgar was newsletter Editor (with assistant Bea Brail) and Jim Tait ran the Visitor Program. Joan Williams was in charge of Literature, Kay Janke brought the refreshments and chapter founder May Fawcett was Publicity Chairperson.

During this time period, the newsletter was 5 pages long, printed on white, 8 1/2” x 14” paper. It cost $50.96 (includ-ing taxes!) to print a whopping 500 cop-ies.


VANCoUVERVancouver General Hospital 855 West 12th AvenueDeb Cutting, RN, ET Tel (604) 875-5788 Laura Jean DeVries, RN, ET

St. Paul’s Hospital 1081 Burrard StreetNeal Dunwoody, R.N., WOCN Tel (604) 682-2344Christina Kerekes, R.N., IIWCC, WON Local 62917

Children’s Hospital 4480 Oak StreetAmie Nowak, BSN, RN, ET Tel (604) 875-2345 Local 7658Macdonald’s Prescriptions 3199 West BroadwayNeal Dunwoody, RN, ET (Kitsilano)(Saturdays 9 - 4, call for appointment) Tel: 604-738-0733

KEIR SURGICAL & oSToMY SUPPLIES Tel 604-879-9101Lauren Wolfe, RN, ET -- by appointment only, call Keir to book

NoRTH VANCoUVER Lion’s Gate HospitalAnnemarie Somerville, 231 East 15th Ave., N. VancouverRN, ET Rosemary Hill, RN., ET Tel (604) 984-5871

NEW WESTMINSTER Royal Columbian HospitalHeather McMurty, RN, ET Tel (604) 520-4292Susan Andrews, RN, /Laurie Cox, RN, ETLucy Innes, RN, ET

WHITE RoCK/RICHMoND E. T. Resources, Ltd.Elaine Antifaev, RN, ET, CWOCN Tel (604) 536-4061

THANK YOU to the ET nurses who let me know of staffing changes at their worksite! Keep those updates comin’!

ostomy Care and Supply Centre Andrea (Andy) Manson, RN. ET. Tel (604) 522-4265Muriel Larsen, RN. ET.(Saturdays 9 - 1)Lisa Hegler, RN, ETChristina Kerekes (1 day per week)

SURREY Surrey Memorial HospitalElke Bauer, RN. ET Tel (604) 588-3328

LANGLEY Langley Memorial HospitalKatie Jensen, RN. BSN. ET Tel (604) 534-4121 Local 7422Ostomy Outpatient Clinic

ABBoTSFoRD Abbotsford Regional HospitalMaureen Clarke, RN. BSN. ET Tel (604) 851-4700Paula Yakashiro, RN, BSN. ET Extension 642213 (Clarke)(Sharon Fabbi retired July 1) 646154 (Yakashiro)

CHILLIWACK Chilliwack General HospitalJacqueline Bourdages, RN Tel 604-795-4141Wound Care and Ostomy Local 614447Resource Nurse WHITE RoCK Peace Arch HospitalMargaret Cowper, RN, ET Tel (604) 531-5512 Local 757687

RICHMoND Richmond General HospitalLauren Wolfe, RN, ET Tel 604-244-5235

SToMA CLINICS IN VANCoUVER / MAINLAND AREAPre-surgical counselling and post-operative follow-up.

VISITOR REPORTA fairly quiet summer for referrals. Requests for patient visits came from St. Paul’s, Vancouver General and Lion’s Gate hospitals as well as from independent inquiries.

Colostomy 2Ileostomy 5

TOTAL 7

Many thanks to my excellent crew this round: Sandra Morris, Alison Leadley and Earl Lesk.

Aaaaaand once again thank you to Maxine Barclay for backing me up for extended periods of time over the summer while I was galivanting from one continent to another!

VANCOUVER, B.C. CHAPTER OF UNITED OSTOMY

ASSOCIATION OF CANADA INC.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGOF MEMBERS

TAKE NOTICE that the annual general meeting of the members of the VANCOUVER, B.C. CHAPTER OF UNITED OSTOMY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA INC. will be held at 1:30 p.m. on the 19th day of September, 2010 at Colling-wood Neighbourhood House, 5288 Joyce Street, Vancou-ver, BC for the following purposes:

1. to receive the report of the Directors of the Association;2. to receive the financial statements of the Association;3. to waive the appointment of auditors for the Association

for the ensuing year;4. to elect directors and officers to hold office until the next

annual general meeting for the Association;5. to transact such other business as may properly come

before the Meeting.


MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Vancouver Chapter United Ostomy Association

Membership in the UOA of Canada is open to all persons interested in ostomy rehabilitation and welfare. The following information is kept strictly confidential.

Please enroll me as a new renewal member of the Vancouver Chapter of the UOA.

I am enclosing my annual membership dues of $30.00, which I understand is effective from the date ap-

plication is received. I wish to make an additional contribution of $ , to support the pro-

grams and activities of the United Ostomy Association of Canada. Vancouver Chapter members receive

the Vancouver Ostomy Highlife newsletter, become members of the UOA Canada, Inc. and receive the

Ostomy Canada magazine.

Name Phone

Address

City Postal Code Year of Birth

email (if applicable):

Type of surgery: Colostomy Urostomy Ileostomy Internal Pouch

All additional contributions are tax deductible. please make cheque payable to the

UOA Vancouver Chapter

and mail to: Membership Coordinator, 3908 Sharon Place, West Vancouver, BC V7V 4T6

Because youshouldn’t have to worry about embarrassing leaks…

®/TM indicates trademarks of ConvaTec Inc. ©2010 ConvaTec Inc. News2010

For more information, contact the ConvaTec Customer Relations Center at 1 800 465-6302

ConvaTec Moldable Technology™ Delivers a Secure, Personalized Fit!ConvaTec Moldable Technology™ is the only skin barrier with an active moldable adhesive that creates a customfit without the hassle of scissors, paste and seals. This smart adhesive moves with the stoma by expanding andcontracting throughout the day and night, controlling leaks and protecting skin.Fits virtually any

stoma shape ConvaTec Moldable Technology™ is available on the ConvaTec 2-piece Natura™ system.

Volume 42 - Issue 5 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2010 · Volume 42 - Issue 5 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2010 INSIDE...

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Transcript of Volume 42 - Issue 5 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2010 · Volume 42 - Issue 5 SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2010 INSIDE...